The NWL, a new pro wrestling startup conceived by Kansas City-based entrepreneur Major Baisden, debuted to enthusiastic large crowds at midtown KC’sScottish Rite Temple on Saturday, Jan. 7, and at the Casa Loma Ballroom in St. Louis on Thursday, Jan. 12.
“The strong attendance and fan response at both inaugural events indicate that KC and St. Louis continue to be two of the best cities for pro wrestling in the country,” says Baisden, who started the NWL in July with an idea, a business plan, three staff members, and not a single wrestler under contract. “The fans in both cities seemed to rejoice that the local wrasslin’ they grew up loving was finally back. Witnessing the tremendous crowd reactions at both venues was really special to me, as I’ve been a huge fan since I was a kid. After both shows, we received several positive reviews by wrestling journalists, podcasters, and social media fans alike for the quality of the presentation and the in-ring product itself.”
Both initial NWL shows featured main events pitting teams representing Kansas City and St. Louis battling each other for civic pride and bragging rights as part of what will be an ongoing I-70 Series of Wrestling. Team NWL KC enjoyed the home mat advantage at the Scottish Rite, winning a six-man tag bout, while Team NWL STL triumphed in a rematch in front of a near-capacity crowd at the Casa Loma, with the results in sending the local fans in each town home happy.
Throughout the season, the final show of each month will pit wrestlers from KC and St. Louis against each other, with the city earning the most victories recognized as the League’s best town. The NWL’s top city will also earn negotiation rights for all new talent entering the NWL in 2018. The NWL is running events in KC every other Saturday and in St. Louis every other Thursday, making it vital for fans leaving the building wanting more.
To further capitalize on the natural rivalry between KC and St. Louis, both promotions will soon kick off tournament matches to decide the League’s KC and STL champions this spring. The NWL STL champion and the NWL KC kingpin will then square off in a mid-season showdown, with the winner earning home-arena advantage for the year’s big finale in December.
On the night of the season finale, the NWL’s League champion will also be decided that evening with a tourney involving the St. Louis and KC titleholders as well as the No. 1 contenders for both belts. The December spectacular will also crown the NWL’s tag-team champions in a tournament featuring the four teams with the best records over the course of the 12-month season.
“From personal issues to civic pride to championships that are earned in the ring after months of intense competition, NWL KC and NWL STLare presenting compelling, storyline-driven entertainment featuring some of the best athletes in the world,” Baisden says. “More than anything, the NWL is proud to bring back the kind of pro wrestling the fans in both these great cities deserve.”
NWL KC returns for its second show Saturday at the Scottish Rite on Saturday, Jan. 21, while NWL STLbrings its own brand of wrestling action back to the Casa Loma on Thursday, Jan. 26. Tickets are available at fightkc.ticketfly.com and fightstl.ticketfly.com, respectively.
About NWL
The National Wrasslin’ League (NWL) is reviving the historical roots of the business. Fueled by intercity rivalries, the NWL prides itself on family-friendly, storyline-driven programming that delivers thrilling athletic action and entertaining characters
The names of Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett are well-known to Midwest wrestling fans, but the national wrestling scene has only recently begun to discover the talents of these skilled competitors.
Both men started their careers with Dynamo Pro Wrestling before branching out to the Lethal Wrestling Alliance, which would later become St. Louis Anarchy. Vega was first known as a tag team competitor and teamed with Johnny Vinyl to feud with The Ego Express(Steven Kennedy & K.C. Karrington), leading to Kennedy & Karrington becoming the first LWA Tag Team Champions when they defeated Vega and substitute partner Dingo. After that, Vega focused on singles competition…after holding the NWA Missouri Title in Dynamo Pro, he went on to capture the LWA Heavyweight Title from Gary Jay in December of 2009. Vega held the title for most of 2010 before dropping it to Evan Gelistico; this occured shortly before the transition to St. Louis Anarchy and Vega spent most of that promotion’s existence chasing the title.
Davey Vega explodes with a clothesline on ROH Star Jonathan Gresham.
In that time, Vega competed against some of the best wrestlers in the world and scored victories over many of them. That list included such names as Davey Richards, Kyle O’Reilly, Johnny Gargano, Arik Cannon, A.C.H., Michael Elgin, Roderick Strong, Chris Hero, Jonathan Gresham, D.J. Z, T.J. Perkins, Chip Day, and Martin Stone. In his final opportunity at the gold at St. Louis Anarchy’s last show, Vega finally capitalized by winning a triple threat match with champion Fitchett and Gary Jay for the title! Vega will continue to carry the championship in Pro Wrestling Championship Series as the “Gateway Heritage Title“.
As for Fitchett, his career took a similar path and he squared off with many of the same competitors as his often-time tag partner Vega. In fact, Fitchett and Vega were Tag Team Champions in both the Chicago-based All-American Wrestling and the Kansas City-based Metro Pro Wrestling!
TJ Perkins found WWE gold in 2016, but before that he and Fitchett put on a wrestling clinic at St. Louis Anarchy.
The “Dirty Rook” took his lumps in his early LWA and SLA career, enduring hard-hitting battles with the likes of Arik Cannon, Akira Tozawa, Alex Shelley, and his trainer Dingo. Fitchett was frustrated after several near-misses in title matches against Darin Corbin and Gary Jay, leading to him taking a sabbatical from SLA competition; however, it turned out that he was hiding under the mask of “Dangerous Deveroux” as he competed for SLA and PWCS. Fitchett had an uphill battle against Gary Jay as the champion rode a wave of momentum, holding the title for over two years with title defenses against some of the toughest competition in the country. Winning a thirty-man Anarchy Rumble in late 2015 finally propelled him back into title contention…and in February of 2016, Fitchett finally ended Gary’s monumental title reign to reach the top of the mountain!
Fitchett didn’t shy away from challenges as he defended his title against Evan Gelistico, T.J. Perkins, Jake Dirden, and Paco Gonzalez…but on STL Anarchy’s final night, he lost the title to Vega.
It took several years for both men to gain attention in the national independent wrestling scene, but their exposure in AAW and Beyond Wrestling has turned the heads of many onlookers. Now forming the “Blood Brothers” tag team in the National Wrasslin’ League under the names Davey Gibson and Matthew Grundy, the two look to add more tag team gold to their already impressive resumes! These two men have been considered the Midwest’s best-kept secrets, but that secret is finally getting out!
Look for an exclusive MWR Future Star artwork honoring Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett for their achievement from acclaimed artist Dartallion Allen Jr. in the future.
If you would like to sponsor the MWR Future Star Plaques for Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett then please contact MWR at flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com. The cost is 50.00 each or $100.00 for both (two plaques) and you will receive a past MWR Yearbook, a Tyler Black (Seth Rollins rookie card) and a mention on the MWR Website.
2016 MWR Award
Future Star: Kevin Lee Davidson / Todd Letterman
2015 MWR Award
Future Star: Redwing
2014 MWR Year Awards
Future Star: Daniel Eads
Future Star: Elvis Aliaga
2013 MWR Year Awards
Future Star: Raphael King
Future Star Alexander Rudolph
Bunkers Rocked With Addition Of Jason Saint To THE JOB
Bunkers (220 Old Route 36, Illiopolis, IL) is blowing up for THE JOB!!! January 28th (Saturday) just got even better…. PGP has been informed by Jason Saint that he will be representing international star and former Middle Kingdom Wrestling Champion,”The Arrogant Atheist” Dalton Bragg. Mr. Bragg (w/ Jason Saint) is returning from China for a rare U.S. appearance before leaving to compete in Mexico. Seemingly money is no object for Dalton Bragg as he has retained the services of Jason Saint to represent him during his limited U.S. appearances, including his trip to Proving Ground Pro on January 28th.
We received a correspondence, after an apparent scouting trip, from Mr. Saint with a number of complaints including the height of the ceiling at Bunkers, the temperature of the beer at Bunkers, the lack of European or Chinese imports at Bunkers and the average IQ/ income of the native Illiopolis population. In response we promise to bring extra ice if they (Dalton & Jason) bring their own import “Fancy” beverages…And, we wish Dalton Bragg (and Mr. Jason Saint) good luck with not one, but TWO opponents as we now have another 3 Way Dance on the card at THE JOB. The “Arrogant Atheist” Dalton Bragg (w/ Jason Saint) will now face both C.J. Shine and Pat Monix!!!….This is flat out AWESOME!!!
THE JOB is the best damn night of independent professional wrestling in Central Illinois, look at this amazing card….7 matches of pure Proving Ground Pro mayhem… Two separate Ryan Buckley Memorial Tournament qualifiers with “Leader of the Pack” Stephen Wolf vs. “BuckNasty” Bucky Collins (w/ Zeke Zshe) and “Iron Demon” Shane Mercer vs.“Bad Wolf” Blake Belakis (The winner of the 2017 RBMT will receive the vacant PGP Franchise Title)…Tag team Title 3 Way Dance with PGP champs Alpha Class (Danny Adams and Paco Gonzalez) vs The Curse (Draconis and Ovirload) vs Krotch & Dante Leone…Mario Crivello in a classic confrontation versus Latin Thunder…”Fashionista” Marek Brave battles “War Horse” Jake Parnell… Twitter exclusive announcement ( @pgpwrestling ) has Barackus & Gyasi returning to face Eddie Machete & Xander Killen…And now we add “Arrogant Atheist” Dalton Bragg (w/ Jason Saint) vs. C.J. Shine vs Pat Monix in a second 3 Way Dance for THE JOB!!! You legitimately DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS SHOW!!!
THE JOB happens at Bunkers (220 Old State Route 36, Illiopolis, IL) on January 28th (Saturday) with doors open at 6:30 PM and the JOB starting at 7 PM. Tickets for this monstorous night are only $10 adults and $7 kids. Save a couple,e bucks with $8 adults and $5 kids advance tickets available until day of show at Bunkers and The Riverton Party Store ( or message us on PGP social media)… Follow PGP on all our social media fronts, Proving Ground Pro on Facebook, @pgpwrestling on Twitter, pgpwrestletube on YouTube and PGPWrestling on Vid.me….Exciting times to be a PGP fan….TRUTH!!!
It really doesn’t get any cooler than this….ENTER THE PROVING GROUND!!!
The Missouri Wrestling Revival Future Star Award has always been one of my favorite awards to give a wrestler. In the past, we tried to honor wrestlers that were just starting out within their first few years that we believed had the talent as well as have shown the desire to go the extra mile on the roads, training with veterans and doing everything that they possibly could to succeed.
This award was one that was personally chosen by myself, and I have been very proud of all the great talents that we have chosen.
This year I decided to change the philosophy of the award to not only talents that are just starting out. The reason is that wrestling has evolved within the past few years where stars that have entertained us on the Independents for years have had the opportunity to become household names at the WWE such as Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens.
So I asked myself, Brian, with so many young wrestlers in the area often traveling in and out of the area, they often are in the mention of top wrestlers, but because of coming in and out of it how can I honor them for their efforts? So with that thought I imagine the MWR Future Star Award to be a representation of who I would send today to NXT if the WWE asked me and my reputation was on the line. Please note that former MWR Wrestlers of the Year winners will not be up for this award
This year we will have two announcements, one today and one tomorrow. Both as important as the other.
Kevin Lee Davidson is a wrestler that meets all the criteria that the past winners exhibited. I love his size, and his raw talents. He has shown that he is smart enough to reach out to the top trainers in the area to improve himself as he has been under the tutelage of former MWR Wrestler of the Year Brandon Espinosa, Former ROH World Champion Michael Elgin, and through camps with the likes of eight time NWA World Champion Harley Race. He has already wrestled in another country and been seen on Ring of Honor TV.
Today, he is a signed contracted wrestler with NWL that feature trainers such as former Harley Race’s right hand man, Derek Stone, and Michael Strider, as well as the wrestling minds of Chris Gough, Major Baisden, Matt Jackson and Travis Scott Bowden the foundation is as strong to succeed as it could be anywhere in the independents.
Brian Kelley – Owner and Editor Missouri Wrestling Revival
A mere two and a half years into his wrestling career, Kevin Lee Davidson(aka Todd Letterman) has made a huge impact on the Midwest wrestling scene. Debuting in the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance in the summer of 2014, “K.L.D.” made an immediate impact with his sheer size and power. He held the Television, Survivor, and Heavyweight Titles in his time with the promotion, but his journey was just beginning as he appeared for most of the major promotions in the St. Louis area; his experience includes matches with Dynamo Pro Wrestling, World League Wrestling, St. Louis Anarchy, and Wrestling Invades America(where he held their Heavyweight Title).
K.L.D.’s big step in the wrestling world was seeking the mentorship of Ring Of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling star “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin; this led to several appearances for ROH as well as matches in Canada and Europe. Most recently, his talents caught the eye of National Wrasslin’ League President Major Baisden…K.L.D. was one of the first to be signed to an exclusive NWL contract!
Now known as “The All-American” Todd Letterman, the big man is one of the top names in the new NWL promotion…will he be the first NWL St. Louis Champion? Don’t bet against him!
Look for an exclusive MWR Future of the Year Kevin Lee Davidson/ Todd Leterman artwork honoring her for his achievement from acclaimed artist Dartallion Allen Jr. in the future.
If you would like to sponsor the MWR Future Star of the Year Plaques for KLD /Todd Leterman then please contact MWR at flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com. The cost is $50.00 and you will receive a past MWR Yearbook, a Tyler Black (Seth Rollins rookie card) and a mention on the MWR Website.
Bio courtesy of Patrick Brandmeyer
2015 MWR Award
Future Star: Redwing
2014 MWR Year Awards
Future Star: Daniel Eads
Future Star: Elvis Aliaga
2013 MWR Year Awards
Future Star: Raphael King
Future Star Alexander Rudolph
Come out and support Sam Richardson’s (Former Wrestler Adam Raw) new book HAFU II , get some sketches from Lorenzo Lizana and buy some prints from Dartallion Allen Jr (Former wrestler Eric Allen) .
F
IT’S HERE! We will have a LIMITED number of HAFU II issues available only at the St Louis Winter1Day comic-con, this Sunday January 22nd 10am – 3pm.
In preparation for our big show this weekend, Jordan Taylor and I are excited to debut our new Akiko model, Savanna! She will be with us at the Stl Winter1Day Comiccon this Sunday!
Don’t you dare miss the second NWL KCevent at the Scottish Rite Temple at Linwood & Paseo this Saturday at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. It’s a special night as we kick off the tournament to crown the first KC champion in history with two qualifying matches. League prez Major Baisden will appear to display the stunning KC championship belt—a title definitely worh fighting for.
In other bouts, Thor Theriot will attempt to dethrone the The Monarch Jeremy Wyatt in what should be a classic. Dakota Draper will be there to impress without breaking a sweat. And be prepared for the debut of the maniacal mercenaries from the West Coast, cousins Marco and Leonel Howlett.
They informed us they were “a little disappointed” to find they weren’t booked for the inaugural NWL KC event. So they took negotiations into their own hands—by taking one of our NWL interns hostage. Normally, we wouldn’t cave to such horrifying tactics, but to ensure Harold’s safe return to his family, we agreed to not only air this graphic video but also book the Howletts on this Saturday’s card—against The Union. Joe and Mack are so angry, they are ready to kick these punks’ butts all the way back to California. See what we hope is the first and last appearance of these maniacal mercenaries from the West Coast: reserve you seats at fightkc.ticketfly.com.
NWL KC #wrasslin’ returns to rock the Scottish Rite Temple this Saturday at 7 p.m. In the main event, Royal Blood_NWL will take to the air against high society’s Niles Plonk & Ken Dharma, who claim their organic teamwork will be enough to ground the high-flying favorites.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Reserve tix at fightkc.ticketfly.com.
Hey, there, super friends, if you subscribed to the NWL Slam-O-Gram newsletter, you would have received this super deal from Blaine Meeks, offering heroic savings on any ticket at this Saturday’s NWL KC event at the Scottish Rite Temple. Never fear, we’re here to save the day—and save you some cash. Enter the code SUPERMEEKS at checkout and save $5 on each advance ticket you purchase at fightkc.ticketfly.com. Then sign up to receive more amazing offers at fightkc.com. #POW! #WHAM! #FightKC
Trained by former Ring of Honor World ChampionMichael Elgin, Danny Adams and Paco Gonzalez, came together to form the tag team Alpha Class and quietly picked up huge wins in 2016. In January, the duo picked up a big win against former Dynamo Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champions Shawn Santel and Mauler McDarby otherwise known as the Professionals. They would challenge the DPW Champions High Level Enterprise, Jon Webb and Jack Gamble coming up just a little short, but that would not deter them in the least.
While making their way to Proving Ground Pro they picked up a huge win by defeating the much larger and powerful team of Blake Belakis and Nate Redwing, while backing that up with a win against Craig Mitchell & Kenny Sutra.
In August at Pro Wrestling Resurgence Alpha Class picked up a an epic win against two of the most successful tag teams in the Midwest in a triple threat match with The Submission Squad(Evan Gelistico & Pierre Abernathy) and 2.0 (A.J. Williams & Da’Marius Jones).
Proving that that win was not a fluke Alpha Class upset the Besties in the World, Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett. Less than a month later they not only defeated The Carnivore Club (Blake Belakis & Nate Redwing) to win the Proving Ground Pro Tag Titles, but successfully defeated them in a rematch for the title.
Back in St. Louis for Dynamo Pro Wrestling they would lose a hard fought title match against Straps Down University (Keon Option & Justin D’Air) before returning back to Proving Ground Pro to retain the titles against the Brother Reed & Micky Muscles. In the month of November they would retain their PGP Tag titles against the 3-time MWR Tag Team of the Year recipients Devin and Mason Cutter, the Hooligans.
Danny Adams and Paco Gonzalez proved that with great training, hard work and dedication they have a bright future and start the year off as Proving Ground Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champions but now they also lay claim as the 2016 MWR Tag Team of the Year.
Look for an exclusive MWR Tag Team of the Year Alpha Class artwork honoring her for their achievement from acclaimed artist Dartallion Allen Jr. in the future.
If you would like to sponsor the MWR Tag Team of the Year Plaques for Alpha Class then please contact MWR at flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com. The cost is $100.00 (two plaques) and you will receive a past MWR Yearbook, a Tyler Black (Seth Rollins rookie card) and a mention on the MWR Website.
2015 MWR Awards
Tag Team: High Level Enterprise (Jon Webb and Jack Gamble)
2014 MWR Year Awards
Tag Team: The Hooligans (Devin and Mason Cutter)
2013 MWR Year Awards
Tag Team: The Hooligans (Devin and Mason Cutter)
2012 MWR Year Awards
Tag Team: The American Bulldogs (Mark McDowell and Jon West)
2011 MWR Year Awards
Tag Team: The Kentucky Buffet (Matt Cage and Alex Castle)
2010 MWR Year Awards
Tag Team: Attitude Inc. (Guy Smith, Spencer Powers and Michael Shard)
2009 Awards
Tag Team: The Hooligans (Devin & Mason Cutter)
2008 Awards
Tag Team: The Northstar Express (Darin Corbin & Ryan Cruz)
2016 may have been the single wildest season in the history of PWCS! A season full of bitter rivalries, tearful goodbyes, and the best wrestling in St. Louis culminated with Danny Adams leading the Ego Busters to the 2016 PWCS Championship!
And now, we look forward! As the calendar flips to the new year, another exciting PWCS season is just on the horizon and what better way to kick things off than our version of the All-Star game, the 2017 St. Louis Invitational! The STLI will feature some of the major players of the 2016 season and they will battle it out to decide who was the ultimate All-Star of the season
Also signed, a very special main event. “The Miracle Worker” Davey Vega will put his newly earned PWCS Gateway Heritage Championship on the line against his tag partner and best friend “The Dirty Rook” Mat Fitchett! These two pillars of St. Louis have never faced off in the area and are set for a marquee match January 21st for PWCS’s new MVP prize, the Gateway Heritage Championship.
***Main Event***
PWCS Gateway Heritage Championship Match
“The Miracle Worker” Davey Vega (c)
Vs.
“The Dirty Rook” Mat Fitchett
***1st Round STLI Match:***
Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana
Vs
Danny Adams
***1st Round STLI Match:***
Gary Jay
Vs
Everett Conors
***1st Round STLI Match:***
Paco
Vs
Jason Roberts
***1st Round STLI Match:***
Alexander Rudolph
Vs
Makaze
If you heard that last year than you most definitely took in a wrestling event that had Miss Monica Passeri in the squared circle.
Women’s wrestling received a boost in 2016 when the Roman Dynasty of Karim Brigante and Miss Monica made their home to train with Harley Race’sWorld League Wrestling all the way from Rome, Italy. Though she was a fan favorite for all the single guys in attendance she quickly let it be known that she was not to be messed with in the ring.
Miss Monica started to wrestle for European Pro Wrestling (TV Tapings) in Europe. After that she became the Official voice of the WWE in Italian Television for WWE Afterburn and Bottomlin.
In the ring in 2016 she was put to the test and excelled defeating 2-time MWR female Wrestler of the Year, Miss Natural Heather Patera at New Breed Wrestling. That win would set off a feud that would last all summer long that would also include Stacey O’Brien.
In August, Miss Monica would capture a huge win when she pinned Paloma Starr at SICW in East Carondelet, Illinois. During that night Miss Monica and Karim Brigante would get the attention of SICW trouble makers Curtis Wylde and his number one ginger Wyldefyre leading the four on a collision course in a loser leaves town match in September.
She would participate in the annual week long WLW, WWE, New Japan, Noah camp with special trainers Dr. Tom Pritchard, Hiroshi Takahashi, Brian Breaker and the Hurricane. She took the advice and knowledge to good use when she won the WLW Ladies Championship in a triple treat match between champion Patera and O’Brien.
When WWE was on tour in the Midwest, Passeri was put to the test when she met the unstoppable Nia Jax on Raw and Smackdown. That beating may have led to her losing the title so quickly as O’Brien regain the belt in Grain Valley, MO five days later during her first title defense.
The troubles would continue when she teamed up with Brigante to take on the Wylde’s at SICW in a loser leaves town match. When the smoke cleared the Wylde’s masterfully used distraction to seal a victory that sent the Roman Dynasty packing in 2016.
Still, Miss Monica had made an impact showing what we believe here at MWR to be just a glimmer of what she has to offer in the world of pro wrestling.
With the New Year upon us, the Roman Dynasty is set to return and looks to be hotter than ever in 2017.
We would like to congratulate Miss Monica for a great year by naming her the 2016 MWR Female of the Year.
Look for an exclusive MWR Female Wrestler of the Year Miss Monica exclusive artwork honoring her for this achievement from acclaimed artist Dartallion Allen Jr. in the future.
If you would like to sponsor the MWR Female Wrestler of the Year Plaque for Miss Monica then please contact MWR at flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com. The cost is $50.00 and you will receive a past MWR Yearbook, a Tyler Black (Seth Rollins rookie card) and a mention on the MWR Website.
2015 MWR Awards
Female: Lucy Mendez
2014 MWR Year Awards
Female: Lucy Mendez
2013 MWR Year Awards
Female: Heather Patera (Miss Natural)
2012 MWR Year Awards
Female: Heather Patera (Miss Natural)
Kansas City, Mo. (PRWEB) January 19, 2017
Missouri Wrestling Revival 